Spiritual_Wellness_Holistic_Health_and_the_Practic

CHAPTER
7
CONNECTING A
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF
HEALTH TO THE PRACTICE
OF HEALTH EDUCATION
B ECKY J. S MITH
The World Health Organization (1946) defines health as “ a state of complete, physical,
mental, and social well - being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. ”
Many health education and promotion professionals are familiar with this definition
and accept it as their own. However, there are many definitions of health and it is useful
to examine why they contain subtle differences and what those differences mean to
health education professionals. Such an examination must build upon an understanding
of the fundamental components central to the meaning of health. These components
have been identified by individuals directly related to the field of health or health
education and by scholars interested in the human condition.
In the past century, a number of scholars wrote about the nature and qualities of
man to gain insight toward the meaning of health. Such scholars examined the entity
and expression of health, thus providing health educators with a foundation for
philosophical debate. Charles Darwin was one of the first renowned scientists to